The King's Curse Volume 7

De: Philippa Gregory

Narrado por: Bianca Amato

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the acclaimed Starz series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII’s stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England.

As an heir to the Plantagenets, Margaret is seen by the King’s mother, the Red Queen, as a rival to the Tudor claim to the throne. She is buried in marriage to a Tudor supporter—Sir Richard Pole, governor of Wales—and becomes guardian to Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon.

But Margaret’s destiny, as cousin to the White Princess, is not for a life in the shadows. Tragedy throws her into poverty, yet a royal death restores her to her place at young Henry VIII’s court where she becomes chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. There she watches the dominance of the Spanish queen over her husband and her tragic decline.

Amid the rapid deterioration of the Tudor court, Margaret must choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical Henry VIII or to her beloved queen. Caught between the old and the new, Margaret must find her own way, concealing her knowledge that an old curse cast upon all the Tudors is slowly coming true...

This is my favorite so far!

Having not finished the chronological listening of this fabulous series this is my favorite so far!

Great read!

I love this series. it is very well written and performed! And I've learned so much!

Love this author

Love being able to read a story from different perspectives. The time period is very interesting.

Great story

Well done - loved the narrator! Such an interesting & sad story. So much history to be learned!

Lovely account...

I truly enjoyed this account of a woman's life that was a symbol of survival. Sometimes misguided, but always sincere.

Marvelous finale to the Plantagenet series

What made the experience of listening to The King's Curse the most enjoyable?

The listening experience was made enjoyable firstly due to Bianca Amato's amazing performance. Then story itself was made enjoyable by Philippa Gregory's interpretation of the character Margaret Pole. I felt so sorry for Margaret in the beginning episodes of The Tudors, a series on one of the networks. Margaret was always calling for anyone and everyone to 'Help Teddy in the tower.' The older, wiser Poe reflected in this novel of Gregory's was so much more refreshing. I appreciated her mission to live life -- regardless of the cost.

What other book might you compare The King's Curse to and why?

I'm also listening to Alison Weir's books on the wives of Henry VIII. One book for each wife. Only the first two books have been released. But in them, both Katherine of Aragon and Ann Bolyen seemed to stubbornly risk their lives -- often. Whereas, Margaret was wise enough to treasure life.

What does Bianca Amato bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oh my....Bianca. I've listened to the entire Plantagenet series that she has narrated. Bianca makes every sentence special. She makes each voice unique and distinguishable -- yet not unnaturally forced. She's amazing and entertaining and makes me want to listen to more.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It would have to be something about Margaret Pole.

Exceptional writing & performance!

Wonderful book & story! I've seen many reviews that say it is too long & repeats too much information from the other books in the series, but to me, this book solidly ties all the books together & provides a viewpoint of someone who saw the king grow from a sweet little boy to a tyrannical man. It also helped me understand the Plantaganet family & their role better.

Yes, the book is long. I feel I simply got more "bang for my buck". Remember too, this novel, as her others are historical FICTION. If you're looking for straight, proven facts, then read a non- fiction account of the times. Personally I believe the author brilliantly brings the story to life & creates realistic situations & people with a wonderfully personal fiction account.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that does not mind a long story & is willing to accept the author's personal & FICTIONAL interpretation of the time, events & characters.

Interesting and heartbreaking

I thought I knew the whole story about the tragic end of the Plantagenet line, but I was not familiar with Margaret’s life. Absolutely heartbreaking. Cautionary tale about what happens when no one stands up to a tyrant. Ironically relevant to current times.

love

I watched the tv show and listening to the book is so much better you get so much more from a book then u do. movie or tv program.

A must read for Tudor history lovers!

Another knockout book from Philippa Gregory! This has to be by far my favorite from her out of the 3 that I've read so far. Margaret Pole being such an instrumental figure in the War of the Roses yet her story has never really been told in such detail like this before made it very intriguing. It puts another layer on the very real, very visceral danger that people who were close to King Henry lived through in those times. Being afraid of a traitors death for never being anything but a suspect in his mind or born with the wrong lineage. Never fully trusting your wealth, power or position no matter how high each of them were. Also knowing how much of people's daily life revolved around faith and religion to be told 1 day that you must forget all of that and never practice it for fear of death must have been so heartbreaking. This author and narrator combination is perfection and every book I listen too, I can close my eyes and be emerged into 13-16th century England with ease. BRAVO 👏🏼